Hypodermic needle



April 4, 1953 R. D. HANSON 2,634,726

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE Filed Jan. 30, 1952 Ralph 0. Hanson INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE p HYPODERMIC NEEDLE Ralph D. Hanson, Tulsa, Okla.

Application January 30, 1952, Serial No. 268,955

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a hypodermic needle with an improved structural feature incorporated therein at the juncture of the penetrating point, and adjoining shank and wherein the fluid or solution intake opening, instead of being in the vertex of the penetrating point is on one side and-spaced longitudinally from said vertex.

The ordinary hypodermic needle is hollow and is cut obliquely to provide a penetrating point as well as an inlet into which the liquid medicament is drawn and from which it is subsequently ejected when injected into the blood stream of a patient. It is customary practice to prepare the medicament in liquid form and to place it in a vial which is closed until used by a stopper. In some instances the stopper or seal is of rubber and in other instances it is made of cork. In any event, it is common practice to force the hypodermic needle centrally and axially through the cork and thus immerse it in the liquid in the vial which is then drawn up into the syringe and subsequently ejected in a well known manner. With the end opening it was discovered particles of cork or rubber were often found to exist in the injected solution or other fluid and naturally this was caused by small particles of cork or rubber entering the bore or passage by way of the end opening at the time the penetrating point was forced through the stopper. In certain instances these particles would even clog the bore.

It is the object of this invention to minimize the likelihood of clogging of the needle bore and, what is more important, to minimize the likelihood that extraneous and fine particles might accompany the solution into the blood stream of the patient to bring about untold difficulties. This is accomplished, as before stated, by eliminating the intake opening in the extreme point of the needle and placing it on one side in communication with the bore. This objective was however forseen by one George Gilman who obtained a patent under 1,526,595. The patentee anticipated the idea of a side opening to serve as an intake as well as exit for the bore of a needle. It will be evident therefore that it is the principal object here to improve upon the Gilman needle construction or any others, not currently known, employing this safeguarding principle in hyprodermic needle construction.

More specifically it is important that the bore at the pointed end of the needle should termi-.

nate at the point of location of the side opening. Secondly, the penetrating point itself should 2 V be solid so that there will be no likelihood of ac cumulation of medicines or extraneous matter or particles in the bore at 'a point beyond the location of the side opening. f

Another object of the invention is to provide a side opening spaced inwardly from the penetrating point wherein one end of the opening is at the approximatejuncture of the point and shank and wherein the bore terminates at this same junctural place and actually merges into the outermost end portion of the slot-like openmg.

Then, too, novelty is predicated on opening means as stated wherein the marginal edge portions of the opening are chamfered so that said marginal edge is convexly smooth. This cuts down the likelihood of shearing unnecessary portions of the cork or rubber stopper as the apertured portion of the needle clears through the hole punched by the penetrating point of the needle itself.

Cther objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a hypodermic needle constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the pointed beveled end of the needle which may be called the top side of the needle;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the end portion seen in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings by way of reference numerals and accompanying lead lines the improved hypodermic needle appears in general elevation to be the same as any ordinary or conventional type. In any event it is characterized by a shank portion 6 and a penetrating end 8 usually referred to as the penetrating point. The shank is hollow and the bore thereof is denoted at Ill. The bore does not. however, extend through the point of the needle. Instead the point of the needle is solid as at l2 and said needle may be said to comprise a beveled top portion l4 and a convex bottom portion l6 and a vertex which defines the penetrating point proper and this is denoted at Ill. The improved side aperture or hole which communicates with the bore is denoted by the numeral 20 and this is generally ovate in form as shown in Figure 3. It should be noted with care in connection with Figure 4 that the end or terminal wall 22 of the bore stops at What may be called the juncture of the hollow shank and solid point. In fact it curves slightly so that it is approximately oblique to the longitudinal axis of the bore. Here it merges smoothly and uninterruptedly as at 24 into what may be called the outer end portion of the slot or opening 20. It is also to be noticed that the marginal edges of the opening are chamfered, thus providing a sort of convex camber 23 which encompasses or "fr-ims" the opening. It is important that this formation be such that there are no sharp edges present around the opening that would shear and tear particles of cork or rubber as the penetrating point .is pushed through the vial cork or stopper.

ommended for safer use by members of the American Medical Association.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size and arrangement of details coming within the ffield of invention claimed may be resorted to actual practice, if desired.

Having described the invention, what is claimed :as new is:

1. A hypodermic needle comprising a shank having a penetrating point at one end, said point being solid in cross-section, said shank also having an axial bore and a side opening at the juncture 'of the shank and point, said bore ending in an internal oblique terminal wall merging uninterruptedly into the outermost end portion of :said opening.

2. The structure defined in claim 1,, wherein the marginal edge portion of said opening in convexly cambered to define a smooth non-shearing perimeter.

RALPH HANSON.

.No references cited. 

